TCL is continuing to demonstrate its ability to produce well-made televisions, but which cost significantly less than the competition. But the same goes for the premium end of the TV market? A TV with mini-LED technology with very deep blacks, 144Hz refresh rate to make gamers happy and an excellent audio system onkyo it certainly won’t be cheap. Yet, during the review of TCL C83 Series (55C835), the brand surprised us again – with a TV capable of premium performance at a price that is hard to beat for the competition.
The question, therefore, is not whether this TV is well made, but rather: do you really need to spend more?
Our review of the TCL C83 (55C835)
Last year we reviewed the C63 series from TCL, and it really amazed us. A product that for a price around 500 euros gave image quality, smart functionality intuitive thanks to Google TV. A complete experience, so much so that we have recommended it to anyone asking us for good value for money in the TV world.
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Ma la protagonist of this review, TCL C83 (55C835) is in another category. Both for the price, which in theory it starts from 999 euro – Also if online we saw it for 799 euros. But above all for the more elegant design, the visual quality of mini-LEDs, the many connectivity options and the gaming attitude with the panel from 144Hz. In short: it competes with the best TVs around. But can he really prevail?
An elegant design – if a little thick
Opening the box of the new TCL TV, we spent a few moments figuring out how to assemble the stand (more due to our lack of manual propensity than the difficulty in assembling it, you just have to tighten a few screws). Already from this first detail, you can see that TCL has designed this product for the premium segment.
The metal finish of the central stand recalls the TV frames, which give a really elegant profile and which will look good in any type of living room. The back isn’t quite as elegant: everything is black plastic. Like most TVs, but it is true that some historical brands have presented several fantastically designed novelties in the last period.
On the positive side, the stand helps a lot cable management, so as to leave the shelves of the TV cabinets clear.
The general effect, looking at the TV from the front, is that of a well-studied and elegant product, even if it won’t be a true “style object” in the home. It is the type of product designed to go unnoticedbut the metal details make it more noble.
The only real flaw we found concerns the thickness, decidedly above average for the high-end market (which it does not belong to in terms of price, but which it aspires to). The widest point comes in at 68mm, the thinnest at 15mm. Compared to the competition it is more. But we are used to making comparisons as a professional deformation; the truth is, you won’t usually have a TV next door to make comparisons. Perhaps it will seem like a problem while you are assembling it, but once it is placed on the piece of furniture you will forget about the thickness.
The build quality is also quite good. The plastic on the back won’t necessarily be fancy, but it’s very durable. Even the metallic details are well integrated into the TV. It’s a good product.
Ports and connectivity
From a connectivity point of view, The TCL C83 (55C835) offers everything we could ask for in our review tests. Starting with the HDMI ports, which are four of them and they are all 2.1, therefore ready for next-generation consoles and PC gaming. Perhaps we would have preferred to have more than one USB 2.0 (perhaps positioned lower down to be more convenient for hard drives and the like), but we find the input for both the satellite and terrestrial antenna, as well as the input for headphones and the cable Ethernet.
The Built-in WiFi connection is great: for logistical reasons we placed the TV quite far from WiFi repeaters, but streaming was uninterrupted. Even the connection Bluetooth is great: our headphones practically picked up even outside the house.
Easy to use, thanks to Google TV
One of the winning choices that TCL has made in recent years in Europe is the adoption of Google TV. Although there are proprietary operating systems that allow you to edit images more and calibrate everything to the fullest, the new OS for Mountain View TVs it’s really intuitive to use.
We therefore first chose to set the TV as Google TV, although you have the double option: Classic TV or Google TV. In the package you will also find both remote controls, one more classic and the other smarter.
The two options are not exclusive: even if you choose a more traditional approach (because maybe you often watch national TV channels), you can still access streaming apps. And vice versa, just click the TV button on the Google TV remote control to watch your classic programs or national football matches.
A function that we use a lot (especially for previews of movies and TV series to be reviewed) is that Chromecast: you have the possibility to transmit any content or even the screen of your smartphone. We know that almost all TVs allow you to do this, but no one does it as seamlessly as Google TV.
On the software side, the only negative thing we can find is the need to register a TCL account during setup. Especially since it doesn’t add much: i TCL channels show content from Rakuten TV and Pluto TV, two apps that you can download separately.
Everything else flows smoothly. And you have the opportunity to see new content or continue watching series directly from the home screen, without needing to enter a specific app (such as Prime Video or Apple TV+, for example).
Use the Google Assistant, both from the remote control and from the smartphone, it is intuitive and easy. We don’t often do it out of habit, but those who wish could use only the voice to see all the content they want.
TCL C83 (55C835) review: Truly premium image quality
Picture quality is what makes the difference when buying a TV – the rest always comes second. And during our review, the TCL C83 (55C835) really proved to be of high quality. The mini-LED panel and QLED technology offer 4K resolution which makes the images well defined, especially when the signal is of quality (for example from a Blu-Ray or 4K streaming). On the other hand, the upscaling of the contents (when they are of lower quality) is good but not excellent.
What impressed us, however, is the dimming: how black the shadow areas in the images really are. Usually, only OLED technology is able to show strong lights next to perfect blacks in the same scene, because only the part of the screen where the light source is illuminated is illuminated. However, TCL’s Quantum Dot technology comes very close: the contrast is almost perfect.
All without sacrificing brightness, which in HDR mode reaches peaks of 1500 nits, but even without it offers quality results. Even watching the content in broad daylight you will be able to see the images with great clarity, without having to play too much with the calibration of the display.
The TV also handles reflections quite well. We placed it in a room with two patio doors and two windows to test it in this review, yet i sunlight reflections didn’t stop us from enjoying the images on the TCL C83 (55C83). They are there, it would be impossible to suppress them altogether, but they are less annoying thanks to a well thought-out display finish.
The only feature not stellar regards the viewing angle – watching TV from the side you lose a bit of quality, especially in the colours. But lying on the couch in front of the television shouldn’t have any problems.
A TV for gamers
A small side note for the refresh rate variabile a 144Hz. There are few TVs that boast it, even fewer that offer the technology FreeSync di AMD for ultra-fast response times when you play.
If the well-calibrated colors (and easy to improve with settings) and deep blacks make it a great choice for movies, the 144Hz refresh rate make it great for video games. In other words, it’s good for any of your needs.
L’audio Onkyo
For audio, TCL has chosen to rely on the experience of Onkyo speakers, which offer a 2.1 system: you have two 10W downward speakers for high and medium tones, while on the back you find one 20W woofer for bass.
Can they replace a dedicated audio system or Hi-Fi headphones? No. No integrated system can do that. But they are an excellent starting point unless you want to invest in a more complicated (and expensive) home theater system. The sound distorts only by turning the volume up a lot (beyond the threshold where it remains comfortable). The bass is not very thunderous, but feels much better than a classic integrated system.
Better than many (even more expensive) TVs. But we advise you to take what you save from buying this great value for money TV and invest it in a soundbar with subwoofer.
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